


No More Secrets

by justaCamelotcitizen



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Good Mordred (Merlin), M/M, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Never Have I Ever, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:35:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29173509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justaCamelotcitizen/pseuds/justaCamelotcitizen
Summary: The knights of the round table, Arthur, and Merlin go on a week long hunting trip. Secrets start to come out.
Relationships: Gwaine & Merlin (Merlin), Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 55





	1. Never Have I Ever...

The knights, Arthur, and Merlin were riding through the woods. Arthur and Merlin were riding on front, side by side, Lancelot, Leon, Elyan and Mordred following close behind, while Gwaine and Percival were far behind, giggling together about something the others didn't know about. It was a beautiful and sunny afternoon, birds were singing beautifully and clouds were nowhere to be seen. It was a perfect time to take a good, long hunting trip.  
While they were gone, Morgana was taking care of the kingdom as their temporary queen. She wanted to just lift the ban on magic while Arthur was gone, so that she could freely be who she was, but she knew Arthur would be furious and just put the ban back on when he returned. He'd probably never trust her again.  
\-----  
They had all catched something, even Merlin who had been off hunting with Lancelot and Mordred. He had used his magic and caught two rabbits. When they returned to their little camp that they had built earlier, it was already starting to get dark. The sun had just disappeared out of sight and the last bit of light was draining away, revealing the millions of stars blanketing the still clear skies.  
The fire Merlin had built was crackling lightly, while he was cooking dinner from the deer Arthur's caught. The knights were sitting on logs around the fire, talking and laughing together like best of friends, like brothers. Merlin was listening to them in amusement, every once in a while butting in on the conversation, or joking around with Mordred telepathically.  
"Food's ready," as soon as Merlin said it, the others were already gathering the food on their plates hungrily. They all started to eat together around the fire. "Never knew you could cook so well," Mordred said impressed, mouth full of food. Few of the others nodded in agreement, and that made Merlin blush slightly. "Thanks," he said gratefully, all the while eating as well.  
"We should play a game," Gwaine suggested all of a sudden, a smirk appearing on his face. The others turned to look at him, he continued, "There's this game called never have I ever..." He started explaining the rules and when he was finished, the others looked somewhat excited. "But everyone has to promise to be completely honest, otherwise there's just no point," he added, and everyone nodded and swore to tell the truth during the game.  
"Who goes first?" Merlin asked, obviously not wanting to be the one to start the game. "I have a good one," Mordred smirked as he said, "Never have I ever had a crush on Gwen. Everyone raised their hands except for Elyan, Percival and Leon. They gave a slight chuckle at how many people had had a crush on her. Elyan went next, "Never have I ever been kissed by Gwen." He probably just wanted to know because Gwen was his sister.  
Arthur, Merlin, Lancelot and Gwaine raised their hands. "I don't think a kiss on the cheek counts, Gwaine," Merlin laughed. Everyone was looking at Gwaine as he dropped his hand with a bitter expression on his face. "When has she ever kissed you, Merlin?" Arthur asked, clearly thinking Merlin was joking. "Actually, long before she kissed you. Remember when I was poisoned and you risked your life to save mine? Yeah, Gwen was so happy afterwards that I was alive, that she kissed me," he explained to everyone simply. They were all looking at him surprised and amazed. "When did he risk his life to save yours?" Mordred asked, not knowing of all the times they'd been ready to die for the other. "It was just a while after Merlin had become Arthur's manservant, I think, that Merlin had saved Arthur by drinking the poison from his goblet instead of Arthur. Then Arthur disobeyed his father and risked his life to save Merlin's," Leon explained, remembering fondly the memory of it all. They were all now looking at Arthur, Leon and Merlin being the only ones there who already knew that story. "That's adorable," Gwaine laughed, and the others nodded in agreement, with smiles on their faces. Arthur blushed slightly, though no one saw it in the darkness of the night, but Arthur could feel his face heat up. "It's not adorable," he protested. They were all amused, knowing just how much Arthur actually cared about Merlin, though he would never, ever admit it. Or so they thought.  
"Oh, never have I ever been attracted to a guy," Leon continued the game. Merlin, Gwaine, Percival, Lancelot and Mordred raised their hands. Arthur hesitated a bit and then raised his hand too. Elyan and Leon were looking at them with wide eyes, surprised that so many raised their hands. Although, anyone could have seen the attraction between Gwaine and Percival. Merlin was looking at Arthur surprised, not knowing how to react. He had been in love with Arthur for a long time, thinking that there was no hope for him. Now he didn't know what to think, he was overwhelmed, though he hid it well.  
Arthur got up, turning away from the others, "We should go to sleep," he said with a dull voice that didn't reveal any emotion. He walked to his bed roll and went to sleep. The others followed suit, Gwaine though stayed seated. "I'll take the first watch," he said as he stared into the dying flames of the campfire.  
\-----  
Merlin couldn't sleep, he got up after over an hour of tossing and turning, and he went to sit next to Gwaine on the log by the fire. "Couldn't sleep?" Gwaine asked as Merlin sat down. The fire had gone out completely by now. Merlin was cold. "Nope," he answered, shivering. Gwaine noticed, he took off his cloak and wrapped it around Merlin. "Thank you," came the quiet words of Merlin, who was feeling a little better already.  
Merlin wanted so badly to tell his friend about his magic. I mean, Lancelot knew and accepted it, why wouldn't Gwaine? He had been thinking about telling him for quite sometime now, and was wondering wether or not that time should be now. He was sure everyone else was sleeping, and even if they weren't, they were sitting by a safe distance for the others not to hear them talk. He decided to tell him now.  
"Gwaine..." he started, "There's something I want to tell you, and I hope it won't change the way you think of me." Gwaine was looking at him curiously, wondering what could make Merlin think that he'd ever think any less of him. No matter what, Merlin was his best friend. "What is it?" he asked gently. Merlin looked at him and sighed deeply. He raised his hand to where the flames where a while ago. He whispered a few words that Gwaine didn't understand, his eyes flashed gold and the fire was burning once more. He dropped his gaze to the ground, being afraid of how Gwaine would react.  
Gwaine looked at the fire, then at Merlin, then at the fire again. He switched his gaze on to Merlin once more and sounded disbelieving as he said, "You have magic." Merlin tried to search his voice for any hint of fear or anger, but when he couldn't find any, he lifted his head and looked Gwaine in the eyes. Gwaine was looking at him in adoration and shock. It surprised Merlin, not the shock, but the clear adoration in his eyes. "Awesome!" Gwaine yelled whispering. "What else can you do?"  
Merlin had the biggest smile on his face. He couldn't have been happier that his friend accepted him, and so easily nonetheless. "What do you want me to show you?" he asked, pure happiness evident in his voice. "Can you magically disappear in a puff of smoke, and then appear somewhere else?" Gwaine asked, more than a little curious. "I've never tried that but it's possible I guess, if I knew how to do that but there isn't anything about it in my magic book," Merlin answered with a smile. Gwaine nodded and frowned a bit. "You realise that Arthur can never find out I have magic, right?" he asked a bit more serious. Well, a lot more serious actually. "Yeah, of course," Gwaine replied. "Does anyone else know?" he asked. Merlin hesitated before he replied, "Lancelot does, he found out when we first met years ago. So does Mordred and Morgana, they... found out too." He didn't like lying, but he didn't feel right telling him about their magic without their permission.  
"They knew before me?" Gwaine pouted and sounded disappointed. "They found out, there was nothing I could do. And I told you now didn't I," Merlin replied, trying to make him feel better. "Oh, I see. So I'm actually your best friend because they found out by accident but to me you just told it." Gwaine said smugly with a smirk. Merlin laughed at Gwaine's statement, as well as his stupidly smug face. "Something like that," he chuckled.


	2. Truth Or Dare?

Merlin woke up to find that the others were already awake. They had fed the horses, packed up the camp and were ready to leave any minute. Arthur seemed to have noticed him awake, he walked next to Merlin and sat down on the grass. "Gwaine told me you didn't really sleep well last night so I told the others to let you sleep," he explained, looking into Merlin's sleepy, half closed eyes. He handed him an apple and started to get up after Merlin took it. "We'll get going in a minute, eat your apple and pack your things when you're done with it," he said and turned to walk away to his horse.  
Merlin sat up and ate the apple, all the while packing his things with a little bit of help from his magic. He was soon done and he went to ready his horse. He packed his things on the horse, then hopped on and was ready to go, just in time, as the others did the same and started to move deeper into the woods.  
It was still early in the morning and the sun didn't yet bring much warmth. The birds were singing a beautiful melody that nearly put Merlin right back to sleep. He was so tired, even though Arthur had let him sleep later than usual. Honestly he never really got much sleep, he was always tired from all the chores, as well as saving Arthur's royal backside on a daily basis.  
Soon they dismounted their horses and scattered to hunt in smaller groups. Arthur left with Leon, Elyan and Percival. He would have wanted for Merlin to come with him but he didn't want the others to know that, so he didn't say anything when, to Arthur's disappointment, it seemed like Merlin wanted to go with Lancelot and Mordred.  
Gwaine cheerfully hurried to Merlin and the two others and asked, "Mind if I join you guys?"  
"Not at all," Merlin replied and gave him a smile, while Lancelot and Mordred were a little hesitant. Merlin noticed this and, after checking it was just the four of them there, he said, "I told him about my magic last night." Gwaine smiled, standing next to Merlin, facing the other two. Lancelot and Mordred looked surprised, and neither knew what to say. "It's alright, he won't tell anyone," Merlin assured them. The two of them nodded, slightly smiling. "Let's start hunting then," Lancelot said and started walking to the opposite direction of where Arthur and the others had left. The other three followed him and started hunting.  
The sun was now high up in the sky and there were no clouds at sight. All kinds of animals were hiding in the bushes around them. It was a good time to hunt indeed. Merlin used his magic to catch a few birds right from the sky above, they landed with a thud. Gwaine was watching in amazement, as Merlin used his magic with great skill. They all caught a surprising amount of prey, and as the sun started to set, they headed back to their horses.  
\-----  
Arthur was walking through the woods, towards where they would next set up camp. He was frowning and pouting to himself, while Leon, Percival and Elyan walked behind him. They noticed Arthur was in a bad mood so they didn't dare to say anything, they just walked with their prey in their hands.  
Arthur hadn't caught anything, which was strange, since he's usually the one who catches something even if the others didn't. He was too distracted, thinking about earlier. Arthur was still upset that Merlin didn't seem to want to spend time with him. Arthur wanted Merlin to always be by his side, he couldn't bear it whenever he didn't know where Merlin was or whether he was alright. He cared about Merlin more than he'd ever cared about anyone else before. He was his best friend. Though lately Arthur has been starting to feel differently about his friend.  
He wasn't sure what it was, but his heart fluttered every time Merlin was close to him, and when he wasn't, he found himself thinking about him constantly. He felt himself blushing every time they touched each other, and his stomach seemed to flip upside down whenever Merlin smiled his beautiful bright smile. When he looked into Merlin's eyes, oh those beautiful blue eyes, he could feel himself getting lost in them and he couldn't take his eyes off of him.  
Arthur was too much of a cabbage head to realize it, but he was in love with Merlin. Oh how deeply he was in love with him. He never wanted to be apart from him, and if he ever died, Arthur would surely crumble to pieces and soon follow him into the peaceful place called death.  
They arrived to where they left the horses, and Merlin, Gwaine, Lancelot and Mordred were already there. They had build a fire and set a few logs around it, and Merlin had started to prepare dinner. Arthur went to sit by the fire, tired and pouting. Merlin turned his head to look at Arthur, and the smile that was on his face, faded, when he saw that Arthur was in a bad mood. "Are you alright?" Merlin asked, worry evident in his voice. Arthur had a distant look in his eyes, as he watched the flames dance before him, reaching higher and higher toward the sky. He wanted to tell Merlin how he missed him, but it was ridiculous, they had just seen each other in the morning. So instead he just said, "Just tired." Merlin didn't seem to believe him, but he didn't say anything, he just turned back to cooking the stew.  
Arthur was watching while Merlin made food. He loved to watch Merlin and he would have started to feel better already, if it wasn't for the strong urge to wrap his arms tightly around Merlin and never let go. He started to wonder why he was feeling like this, but he couldn't come up with a reason. That was until he heard Merlin humming, and his mind started yelling, 'I love him! I love him!' The realization hit him, he loved Merlin. He loved him with all his heart, with all his soul, and now he knew it. He wanted to tell him, oh how he wanted to say those three beautiful words, but he couldn't. Because what if Merlin didn't love him back? But he did, Arthur just didn't know it. So he kept his mouth shut and his feelings obey.  
\-----  
By the time they had all eaten, the sun was long gone and the bright full moon above was casting shadows over their campsite. They were all sitting by the fire, while Gwaine got another idea. "Let's play truth or dare," he suggested with a smirk. They all knew what it was, and they all agreed, though some of them hesitated to.  
"Okay Gwaine, truth or dare?" Mordred asked with a chuckle. "Dare," he answered confidently. "Take your stinking socks and bring them far, far away from me," Elyan told him, with an expression of both disgust and amusement. They all laughed out loud, except for Gwaine who sighed, got up and took his socks and put them in his pack, away from where they were sitting.   
Gwaine came back and sat down, annoyed. "So Elyan, truth or dare?" he asked. Elyan took a deep breath and thought for a while, then he replied, "Truth."  
"Are you having a crush on anyone, if so, who?" Gwaine asked with a smirk. "First of all, that's two questions. Second of all, no I don't," he told them, and then asked, "Merlin, truth or dare?"  
"Dare," he answered, not wanting to answer any uncomfortable questions. A few of them looked surprised, though mostly just Arthur. "Kiss Arthur," Elyan said, a smirk now on his face too. In fact, all of them were now smirking and laughing, seeing how red both Merlin and Arthur's faces were. By now, Merlin was wishing he'd picked truth.  
The knights were grinning like fools, waiting for what was coming next. When Merlin didn't do anything, Arthur burst out, "Oh just do it, don't be such a wimp." At that, Merlin, who was sitting right next to him, grabbed Arthur's face and pressed their lips together. 'What am I doing?' Merlin thought as he kissed Arthur, his eyes closed. He was about to pull back, when he felt Arthur's hand behind his head, pulling him closer, and his lips kissing him back. Arthur's other hand was resting on Merlin's waist, and Merlin's hands were now wrapped around Arthur's neck. Merlin was tugging Arthur's hair, and Arthur's hands found themselves around Merlin's thin frame with a firm grib. They were kissing each other with such passion, with so much love, it was overwhelming. They were aware of the others watching, but they couldn't care less.  
They pulled apart and they were panting for air. They were looking into each other's eyes, their hands still around each other, they pressed their foreheads together and closed their eyes. Their hearts were beating furiously as they gently pressed their lips together again. This one was a much more of a sweeter and shorter kiss, that showed the tenderness and caring between the two.  
The others were looking at them, dumbfounded. When the two stopped kissing, the knights started giggling and they were, once again, grinning like fools. Arthur and Merlin turned to look at them, and their faces flushed a bright red. They took their hands off of each other, and shifted so that they weren't sitting so close to each other anymore.  
"So, who's next?" Merlin asks, trying to act like nothing out of the ordinary just happened. They went on with the game and no one mentioned the kiss. Well, Gwaine tried, but the others shut him up. Soon they went to sleep, and both Arthur and Merlin were acting like nothing happened between them, while the knights were just looking at the two, frustrated that they can't seem to just confess their never dying love for each other already.


	3. Is That All?

Merlin woke up to the chill breeze brushing his face. It was obvious that today wasn't going to be so warm. The clouds were covering the early morning sun, and the trees were bending wildly in the wind. Merlin was the first one awake, he got up and started on some breakfast.  
He started thinking about last evening. The thought of it being just a dream crossed his mind, more than once. But he knew it was real, and he couldn't be happier. Though he was also nervous, about what Arthur would say when he would wake up. Merlin suspected that everything would just go back to how they were, and the thought of that made him sigh with sadness. He didn't want things to go back to normal, he loved Arthur, he wanted to be with him as more than just a friend. He wanted to be able to kiss him everyday, to give him a hug whenever he wanted to. He wanted to see Arthur's face next to him every morning when he woke up, and he wanted Arthur to be the last thing he saw before going to sleep. He loved him so much, he would give up his own life for him in a blink of an eye, there's nothing he wouldn't do for him. There's not much he hadn't already done for him, but Arthur didn't even know any of that.  
He was so deep in thought, that he hadn't noticed when the knights woke up and came to sit next to him. He only noticed the others when Gwaine spoke up, "So how about that kiss, huh?" He was smirking at the two, who were once again sitting next to each other. Arthur rolled his eyes at him, but with a slight smile. Merlin didn't say anything. Surely Gwaine was already used to getting ignored.  
They were eating breakfast, when a group of bandits came running from all around them. There were at least forty of them, and they managed to take them by surprise. They drew their swords and defended themselves as best they could, but there were only eight of them, and it would have been nearly impossible to fight them off. But they had Merlin on their side, so how could they lose?  
They were all fighting them, five to one, and Merlin checked to see no one was watching before he used his magic to defeat a few of the bandits. His eyes flashed gold and the bandits fighting him flew backwards, hitting the ground and going unconscious. What he didn't know was that Arthur saw what he did, he saw Merlin use magic. He had to return to the fighting, but he would definitely have an interesting conversation with Merlin after this was all over. Merlin sneakily used his magic to help the battle a little more, and soon they managed to fight them off. The bandits were fleeing to the woods, those of them that weren't dead.  
"You have magic," Arthur stated, his words full of emotion. Merlin was looking at him, dumbfounded. "Don't deny it, I know what I saw," he added, when Merlin didn't say anything. He sounded somewhat angry, like he'd just been betrayed. "Arthur..." Merlin managed to say, his voice nearly a whisper, broken and sad. All the others were looking at the two. Lancelot, Mordred and Gwaine looked worried, while the rest just looked shocked and a bit tense.  
Arthur turned around and stormed off. "Arthur!" Merlin shouted after him, worried about losing the most important person in his life. He left to follow him, leaving the knights there, just standing and not knowing what to do. He caught up with Arthur after they were a good distance from the others. Arthur stopped and turned towards Merlin. His eyes were full of hurt, tears threatening to spill at any second.  
"Why did you never tell me?" his voice was broken. "We've known each other for years, yet you never told me. Don't you trust me?" Arthur asked, looking into Merlin's beautiful blue eyes that were now filling with tears. "I trust you with my life, Arthur," he answered without hesitation. "Well what is it then?" Arthur asked, frustrated, and a little scared. After a short pause of Merlin and Arthur looking into each other's eyes, feeling each other's pain as well as their own, Merlin finally answered, "I didn't want to put you in that position. That you'd have to choose between me and your father's laws." Arthur's gaze softened and he seemed to realise that this was still the same Merlin he was in love with. "That's what worried you?" Neither of them said anything more. They were looking into each other's eyes, realizing just how badly they needed the other by their side.  
"Can you forgive me?" Merlin asked, worry in his voice and tears threatening to spill from the corners of his eyes. "Yes, of course," Arthur answered with a gentle smile. He thought for a moment, before stepping forward and giving Merlin a heart-warming hug. Merlin was surprised, and it took him a while before wrapping his hands tightly around the man he loves. He gave a relieved sigh, and lowered his head to rest on Arthur's shoulder. A few tears escaped his eyes, as they stayed there embracing each other.  
\-----  
The two walked back to their trashed camp where they found the others, sitting around the fire with worried expressions. They turned their looks away from the fire, when they noticed the two arriving. Merlin looked nervous, to put it lightly. Arthur sat down beside the others, but Merlin remained standing. He was looking at the ground, too afraid to look up, thinking that he would face the disapproving looks from his friends.  
"So... Lancelot, Mordred and Gwaine told us that they already knew about... your magic," Leon said, hesitantly. Merlin looked up, surprised and a bit curious. "They told us what you do with it, and we just want you to know that we're okay with you having magic," Elyan added, smiling reassuringly at Merlin. Percival and Leon nodded in agreement. Merlin smiled his usual goofy smile, relieved that his friends all accepted who he was. "Thank you," he said to them, his voice revealing just how relieved he was. They were all smiling somewhat happily, except for Arthur who was pouting again. "So the three of them knew, but not me?" he said, pointing towards where Lancelot, Mordred and Gwaine were sitting. He sounded hurt, and confused. "Well Gwaine knew since yesterday, and Lancelot found out by accident when he first came to Camelot. And Mordred..." Merlin started to explain, until Mordred cut him off. "I guess now would be a good time to tell you guys that I have magic too," he said with an unsure smile.  
They all turned to look at Mordred, shocked, except for of course Merlin who already knew. Mordred shrunk down under their gazes. "You have magic?" Arthur asked with a shocked expression, full of confusion. "So you really don't remember that Mordred is the same druid boy that we once saved together from Camelot years ago?" Merlin asked Arthur, looking directly at him. Arthur turned to look at Merlin, then back at Mordred. He thought hard for a moment, before his expression changed into one of pure realization. He turned to look at Merlin again. "So you knew, and never thought to tell me?" he asked. "Well, it wouldn't make much difference. He's a loyal knight, who's saved your life, and having magic doesn't change that. But if you knew he had magic, you probably wouldn't have made him a knight. Plus he's my friend and I didn't want to betray one of my kind by telling you he has magic and putting him in danger," he explained simply. Arthur seemed to understand and he nodded slightly.  
"One of your kind? So are you a druid too?" Elyan asked confused. "Not exactly, but us who are born with magic, we're kind of kin to each other," Merlin explained to them. "Though he is kind of the king of druids," Mordred added with a smile. "What?" Arthur burst out, even more confused than before. Merlin was blushing, he felt everyone's gazes on him and he started to feel uncomfortable. "You're a king?" Percival asked, a smile on his face. "Awesome!" Gwaine shouted out with a wide smile. Merlin chuckled and everyone else was smiling, except for Arthur who rolled his eyes out of frustration.  
"Anything else I need to know?" he asked. "Well, I'm also a dragonlord" Merlin said hesitantly. Arthur was looking at him with a frown and a questioning look. "Wait, I didn't know that," Mordred said, also with a frown. "Neither did I," Lancelot said confused. "I don't really talk about it much," Merlin replied, looking at the ground. Arthur looked like he just realized something. "Oh no, Balinor was your father wasn't he?" he asked, looking at Merlin with somewhat sad eyes. "Yeah," he answered sadly, gaze still fixated on the ground. "I'm so sorry Merlin," Arthur said while standing up and giving Merlin another hug. "I'm so sorry, if I'd known, I wouldn't have been so insensitive," he added, voice slightly broken. "Arthur, it's alright, you couldn't have known," Merlin assured him. They pulled apart from the hug and looked into each other's eyes for a good moment. Merlin smiled reassuringly and Arthur smiled back.  
"So, is that all?" he asked. "Yeah, I think that's about it," Merlin replied. They sat down and they all started to ask all kinds of questions from Merlin, referring his magic or him being a dragonlord. Merlin answered them, and sometimes Mordred helped on some questions about magic. They all had a surprising amount of fun, and they lost the track of time. The sun was high up in the sky, soon starting to set, and everyone noticed how hungry they were. They went for a short hunt, and when they came back, Merlin made food and they all ate. It was soon a late afternoon and they all needed some rest, so they went to lie on the ground next to each other, talking about all kinds of things that friends talk about, and whatever nonsense happened to come from Gwaine's mouth.


	4. No, That's Not All

Arthur was sleeping peacefully, until he heard Merlin's voice telling him to wake up. He groaned and sat up on the cold forest floor. All the others were up and eating breakfast by the fire. Most of their stuff was packed already, and after they'd eaten, they would be ready to leave. Arthur got up and joined the others. His hair was messy and his eyes were half closed from tiredness.  
"Good morning princess, did you get a good beauty sleep?" Gwaine asked him, laughing at Arthur's sleepy face. The others started laughing too and that got Arthur to pout. Merlin was looking at him amused, loving how cute Arthur was in the mornings.  
They ate and they left. They were riding even further into the woods, Merlin and Arthur in the front beside each other like always. They were both stealing glances at each other, neither noticing that the other did the same. The knights behind them noticed though, and they were all rolling their eyes at the two most oblivious people in all the five kingdoms.  
They left the horses and started hunting. They didn't divide into groups this time, but stayed to hunt together instead. It was nearly noon and the sun was high up in the sky, and even though some clouds found themselves floating in front of it, the air was still plenty warm. There was a slight breeze that ruffled their hairs, but it wasn't as cold as it could've been. They concentrated on the hunt, and so they didn't talk much. They hunted for a few hours until they all caught something, then they left to make a new camp.  
Throughout the day, Merlin and Mordred both used magic to make things easier for everyone. It was still weird for all of them. It was weird for the two sorcerers, since they'd gotten used to hiding their magic for so long, and it was weird for the others, since they weren't used to the two being sorcerers.  
When they had set up the camp, they decided to go bathe in the nearby river. It was late afternoon now, the clouds had disappeared from the sky and the air was still. They were all in the water, except for Merlin who was standing by the shore and still had his trousers on. He was nervous, since no one had really ever seen him naked before.  
"What are you waiting for?" he heard Arthur ask. They were all now looking at him, and that made him even more uncomfortable. There was no way he was getting naked now, not with all their eyes on him. 'Are you afraid of what Arthur will think about how you look naked?' he heard Mordred's cheeky voice in his head. He turned his head abruptly to look at him, shocked, blushing and slightly angry. This got all the others confused, even more so when Mordred started laughing at supposedly nothing.  
That was when Merlin decided not to let his insecurities get the best of him. He took his pants off and walked somewhat confidently into the water, still glaring at Mordred who was now looking rather proud of what he'd accomplished. "What just happened?" Gwaine asked confused. "Nothing, Mordred's just getting on my nerves," Merlin replied casually. "Merlin, you realize that they don't know we can talk telepathically, right?" Mordred asked him, a hint of his previous cheekiness still evident in his voice. If it was possible, the others looked even more confused by now. "You can... talk telepathically?" Leon repeated. "Yes, did we not mention? Must've slipped my mind," Merlin told them.  
"Anything else that slipped your mind, Merlin?" Arthur was annoyed and rolled his eyes. Merlin looked as if he was thinking, before he answered, "I don't think so..."  
'Why don't you tell him about how you're desperately in love with him?' Mordred asked, clearly amused with himself. Merlin was trying to hide it, but he was very annoyed with Mordred right now. 'Shut up Mordred,' he answered, looking away from Mordred and resisting the urge to roll his eyes in annoyance. Luckily no one seemed to notice their telepathic conversation this time.  
\-----  
Gwaine and Percival were making out, not caring that their friends were right next to them and glancing at them rather uncomfortably. Arthur decided to splash water on the two of them, stopping their kissing. "Hey!" Gwaine yelled rather annoyed, yet slightly amused since he loved water fights. He splashed back at Arthur and soon it evolved into a huge water fight between all of them.  
"That's not fair!" Elyan burst out, after Merlin had used his magic to create a huge wave to wash over all of them but himself. Merlin just laughed at his friends who were all glaring at him rather angrily. They gave each other a few looks and then all aimed at Merlin who was now defenceless against the seven knights.  
They were all having fun, and when their battle had died down, they were all laughing slightly. It's good that any enemies of Camelot weren't there to see this moment. Who could ever be intimidated by this childish group of knights?  
\-----  
They got out of the water and changed into their clothes, then they went back to the camp. They went to sit at the fire that Merlin had lighted with his magic just now, and, once again, Merlin started to cook dinner. The sky was starting to darken, stars appearing at sight. They started to eat the stew Merlin had made, and they all seemed pretty happy at the moment. Merlin had started to think about telling Arthur how he felt, ever since Mordred had brought it up. It was true what he said, he was so desperately in love with Arthur. "You alright, Merlin?" Arthur asked him. "You haven't said anything in a while, I'm starting to think something's wrong."  
"I'm fine," he replied, still looking into the fire. "Just lost in thought I guess."  
The group was surprisingly quiet tonight, no one barely said anything. It seems the water fight had tired them out more than they had thought. Merlin thought back to the kiss him and Arthur had shared two nights ago. He wanted to be able to do that all the time, he wanted to be Arthur's boyfriend, maybe even his husband. He wondered whether the kiss had meant anything to Arthur. 'Probably not,' he thought. Little did he know Arthur felt the same way he did.  
Arthur was also thinking about their kiss. He missed the feel of Merlin's soft lips on his, and he had to hold himself back from wrapping his arms around the said person, who was sitting right next to him. He wanted to hold Merlin close to him, to hold him and never let go. The intensity of his own feelings scared even Arthur himself.  
\-----  
The group had eaten, and they were now chatting around the fire. Merlin decided that now was the time he'd tell Arthur how he feels. He was nervous, but he couldn't keep it in anymore. "Arthur? Could I talk to you privately for a while?" Merlin asked quietly, looking into Arthur's bright blue eyes. Arthur turned to look at him, thought for a second, and then nodded. They got up and left for a walk so the others couldn't hear them. The knights looked at them and wondered what was going on, hoping nothing was wrong.


	5. I Love You Too

The night was cold. The wind had died out after blowing the sky clear from all the clouds, revealing all the millions of stars blanketing the otherwise dark sky. The moon was just a sickle, barely visible. Merlin was walking further from the campsite, from the warm fire, fallen leaves rustling beneath his feet with each step. Arthur was following not far behind, until Merlin came to a stop and turned around to face Arthur.  
Merlin was nervous, needless to say. He was about to tell the king of Camelot that he's in love with him. Little did he know Arthur shared these feelings. But maybe he would find that out soon enough. "Arthur..." he started, keeping a short pause, still figuring out in his head exactly what to say. Arthur was looking at the man he loves, trying to guess what was bothering him while the other was struggling to get words out of his mouth. Merlin took a deep breath, before finally opening his mouth to say, "Arthur, I love you, I always have. I understand that you might not share these feelings, but it doesn't change anything. I still love you, and I always will, and I will continue to be by your side, always, for whatever you need." He was staring into Arthur's eyes the entire time he spoke, but lowered his gaze to the ground when Arthur didn't say anything for several seconds.  
Arthur was standing still in front of Merlin, he didn't know what to say. His lips were slightly parted, his eyes looking into Merlin's. When he saw Merlin's eyes drop to the ground, he realised he hadn't said anything yet. He didn't know what he was expecting for Merlin to say, but certainly not this. Although, it is what he had been dreaming of. When he saw the man he loves starting to leave, he grabbed his wrist.  
Merlin looked back up, his eyes meeting Arthur's once more. They looked at each other for a few seconds, or maybe it was minutes, Merlin couldn't be sure. Then Arthur opened his mouth after what had felt like forever. "I love you too," he said quietly, before pulling Merlin in for a kiss, a kiss full of passion, a kiss full of love, a kiss that Merlin happily returned.  
\-----  
They returned to the campsite half an hour later, hand in hand, both filled with calm happiness. When they appeared at the others' line of sight, the knights looked at the two's hands linked together, smiles slowly taking place on their faces. Gwaine had a wide grin on his face as he said, "Are you two finally together? Arthur gazed at the man beside him, smiling lovingly, for once not bothering to be annoyed by Gwaine. When Arthur finally tore his eyes away from Merlin's, he looked to the others and nodded, still smiling happily.  
The others, who were sitting by the fire, were filled with excitement as their two best friends had finally admitted their feelings for each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the short chapter, I ran out of Ideas how to continue. But I will try to write some more on this story when I have the time and inspiration.❤


End file.
